Mohamed Abd Al-Rahman

Syria News

January 24, 2013, in Damascus, Syria

The pro-government news
website Syria Newsreported on its
website that one of its sports reporters, Mohamed Abd al-Rahman had been shot,
along with four of his family members, by a "pro-government armed group" in
Damascus. The pan-Arab news channel Al-Arabiya confirmed the
deaths.

Abd al-Rahman was also a
member of the Free Sportsmen Union, a group affiliated with the Syrian opposition.
The union said the journalist and his family had been killed by a pro-government
group for sectarian reasons, but did not elaborate. The union posted a YouTube video about
the deaths three days later.

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.